By Nyima Sillah
During weeks of mandatory presidential campaign for all the aspirants in the upcoming December 4 election, political parties disclosed their manifestoes as they spoke to members and general public regarding their developmental plans which they have for the country, citizens and other residents in the country.
December 4 presidential election is said to be the first democratic elections after 22years of dictatorship and therefore, the public expectations from the six candidates namely: NPP, GDC, PDOIS, NUP, UDP and Independent candidate is high as supporters from various regions always out in their numbers to show their solidarity to their choice parties.
Meanwhile, as they are criss-crossing the country to sell their agendas in a bid to be elected into office as president they take a tough stance on Barrow’s five-year leadership which they said has caused the country massive sufferings ranging from security and economic hardships.
National Unity Party
One of the opposition parties who want to unseat Barrow from power is the National Unity Party led by the former chief of Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh.
However, this year’s election is rating as the first democratic election since post-dictatorship in the 22 years rule of the Jammeh era.
Mr Jammeh has been promising electorates to eradicate their sufferings and one of the ways he promised to end sufferings of Gambians is by building more skill training centres for youth in a bid to close unemployment gap in the country.
“I will open technical schools to teach students with skills so that in case the government cannot employ them, they can employ themselves even if they go to Europe. We are going to change the learning system in the country because the education system is not moving forward. Learning only language will not solve anything; instead technical education should be put in the system. (The) government should support youth to have skills that will allow them to have a contract, benefit themselves and their country. That is why I said export is not a joke,” he said repeatedly in any of his on-going campaign.
“That is why I said, our education here should be change and that is, we have to turn to technical education because if you look around those that have money abroad and want them to come to the country and invest like establishing factories and working places what they need is people that have skills,” Jammeh said in many occasions.
Independent Candidate
Another new comer in the nation’s political rail but an independent candidate contesting for same position is Essa Mbye Faal, a man who came to fame thanks to the TRRC, a government-backed commission tasked to probe into Jammeh’s brutal 22-year considered to be reign of terror in the history of the country.
The lawyer-turned politician blamed the Barrow administration for ineptness, saying the country’s health, agriculture, education among others is in tatters.
He also urged electorates to refrain from selling their voter cards in favour of politicians, as it is few days to the December presidential election.
“Do not allow to be fooled if they give you five hundred dalasi and take your voter card is like you have sold your life for five years. Within that 5 years you would not able to voice out your pain at anywhere and it is clear that what is given to you in exchange of your vote they will take it from you because your money is in the government and you leave it with them so they will take it and spend it anywhere,” he said.
Meanwhile, he accused Barrow-led administration saying the government failed the country woefully from taking the country and its people to the promise land.
“I never see a hospital without doctors I see that only in Kuntaur why will they established hospitals and make you believe that you have hospital whist it does not have hospital that is just a joke. a village like Kuntaur and its importance in the Gambia there is no doctor in the hospital, this is very sad,” he said.
He challenged Kuntaur people to prove themselves in this election and vote for him because he is the one that cares for them. Adding that he knows their problems in Kuntaur village and he has solution to all they are problems if they vote for him in the December 4 election.
“If you vote for us (me), Kuntaur will harvest rice so that Gambia can start eating the rice we grow but we (I) have to inform you that we (I am) going to bring up agriculture in the Gambia and put it in place, we know that a country that cannot feed itself cannot go further and Kuntaur should be in a position of feeding itself and feed the Gambia,” he told them.
Gambian Democratic Congress
As his campaign continued, Honorable Mama Kandeh, leader of Gambia Democratic Congress, urged registered Gambians to reject any voter card buyer and expose such a person or group because both the seller and buyer are ‘criminals.’
Speaking at a rally in Ndungu-Kebbeh and Kissima Jaw, Honorable Kandeh said: “Those politicians going about introducing voters with money are not using their own money but resources of the State. They are using our money to entice people to give them another mandate.”
“Now it is left to Gambians to differentiate those who are working for the interest of the nation from those who came to enrich themselves from the State resource because the December 4th election is crucial as it will decide if Gambians want a change or stay in the current bad state of affairs. So, do not sell your voter card because both the seller and the buyer are criminals,” he echoed.
Kandeh said, the wishes of people when they voted in 2016 for their government were to provide them services that would lift them from poverty. Adding that since President Barrow took over as president of The Gambia, farmers have been selling their groundnuts at the lumos, and that alone is enough to teach Gambians lesson about Barrow.
“GDC has a track record of providing for the people well before and that experience will continue if the party is voted into office, a GDC government would not lie, induce or make empty promises. We would serve the interest of all and not a few individuals,” he said.
He as well accused a National Assembly member of spreading lies that Barrow had offered him a position in his government but he (Kandeh) refused.
